Moscow, Russia | AFP | Vladimir Putin was sworn in as Russia’s president for a fourth term on Monday, extending his almost two-decade rule by another six years at a time of high tension with his Western rivals. The 65-year-old, in power since 1999, is on course to become the …
Read More »Putin, Macron diverge on Iran deal as Trump decides
Paris, France | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin and French leader Emmanuel Macron launched a joint defence of the Iranian nuclear deal on Monday but expressed differences on how to move forward as US President Donald Trump weighs up whether to scrap it. The Kremlin said Putin and Macron were …
Read More »What the world is saying about Putin’s re-election
Paris, France | AFP | China was the first world power to react Monday to Russian strongman Vladimir Putin’s re-election, vowing to push ties to a “higher level”, but Germany questioned the fairness of the vote and warned that Moscow would remain “difficult”. And 24 hours after Putin’s victory, there …
Read More »Putin wins another term but what happens in 2024?
Moscow, Russia | AFP | In power for almost two decades, Vladimir Putin predictably won a fourth Kremlin term in Russia’s presidential election on Sunday, extending his long rule for another six years. With no successor and no political competition, what are the possible scenarios when his term ends in …
Read More »Putin storms to landslide election win
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Vladimir Putin on Sunday stormed to victory in Russia’s presidential election on Sunday, giving him another six years in power as Moscow’s relations with the West plunge to new Cold War lows. Putin, who has ruled Russia for almost two decades, won more than 75 …
Read More »Putin hails Crimea annexation in speech ahead of vote
Sevastopol, Undefined | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday thanked residents of Crimea for voting to annex the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, calling the move “real democracy” in a speech days ahead of Sunday’s presidential election. “With your decision you restored historical justice,” he told the crowd of …
Read More »Putin says he ordered plane shot down before Sochi Olympics
Moscow, RUSSIAN FEDERATION | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin gave an order to shoot down a passenger plane he believed would be used in a terror attack at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, he said in a new documentary. The plane was travelling from Ukraine to Turkey when Putin …
Read More »Putin says he will ‘never’ give Crimea back to Ukraine
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that under no circumstances would he give Crimea back to Ukraine, speaking in a new documentary released Sunday ahead of his expected re-election in next week’s poll. “What, have you gone mad?” he told a journalist who asked him if …
Read More »Putin says will not change constitution to cling to power
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is expected to be reelected for a fourth term in an upcoming ballot, said Saturday he had no plans to change the constitution to stay in the Kremlin beyond 2024. Asked by the US television network NBC whether he would …
Read More »Putin promises ‘victories’ for Russia at star-studded rally
Moscow, Russia | AFP | President Vladimir Putin on Saturday promised “victories” for Russia at a star-studded rally attended by tens of thousands of supporters ahead of a March 18 election he is all but certain to win. Olympic athletes, celebrities and cosmonauts had taken to the stage to voice …
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